0W20 oil change

[walter592]

Heads up Canadians, I took my car in for the first oil change to one of the largest dealerships in Toronto. They do not carry 0w20 oil or seemed to intend to carry it. They said I could buy it and bring it in and they would put it in. Off I went to a couple of places only to come up empty handed (tried Walmart, Canadian Tire and a couple of garages). Ended up with their standard 5w20 oil change, on a positive note it only cost $39.

[Tideland Prius]

Hmm..... that's odd. So are we supposed to use dino oil or synthetic? I was under the impression that the oil is synthetic. 5W20 should be ok until they stock 0W20 but then again, what do I know?

[Airbalancer]

you could use 0w30 which is stock at Wally world

[MSantos]

If my experience with the HCH-II is any indication, I will never, ever allow them to put 5W20 in when the recommended weight is 0W20. The impact on FE is just too pronounced.

Fortunately, the local Toyota dealers all stock the now "standard Toyota 0W20" at roughly $7 a bottle and the Mobil1 0W20 at $13.
It is too bad some dealers across the country aren't doing the same.


Cheers;

MSantos

[Spartane]

Originally Posted by walter592

Heads up Canadians, I took my car in for the first oil change to one of the largest dealerships in Toronto. They do not carry 0w20 oil or seemed to intend to carry it. They said I could buy it and bring it in and they would put it in. Off I went to a couple of places only to come up empty handed (tried Walmart, Canadian Tire and a couple of garages). Ended up with their standard 5w20 oil change, on a positive note it only cost $39.

This is disturbing. Which dealer?

[Edward Walsh]

Originally Posted by walter592

Heads up Canadians, I took my car in for the first oil change to one of the largest dealerships in Toronto. They do not carry 0w20 oil or seemed to intend to carry it. They said I could buy it and bring it in and they would put it in. Off I went to a couple of places only to come up empty handed (tried Walmart, Canadian Tire and a couple of garages). Ended up with their standard 5w20 oil change, on a positive note it only cost $39.

Hi Walter:

Did some checking here. I just called the two closest Toyota Dealers to where I live in Newfoundland. The first dealer told me that it is OK to use 5W-20 and that is all they would use in the 2010 Toyota Prius. I mentioned about the 0W-20 and he started to go on about......I just said thanks and have a good day. The other dealer I contacted when I asked about availability of 0W-20 said they do carry it and it is $5.xx per litre. In questioning him on it further and asking if the oil was Synthetic he said no........again, thank you and have a good day. After having read that 0W-20 is only Synthetic I contacted Esso (Imperial Oil) yesterday who referred me to a distributor who was selling 6 x 1 Litre for $49 or $8.25.

That being said, I plan to do arrange someone local who has done all my other cars oil changes for me. I will buy the Mobil 1 0W-20 Synthetic Oil and get the filter from Toyota and have him do it for me. Will have the receipts for the oil purchase along with the filter and the person doing it signing off on when it was done and how many Km.

I guess the only thing that concerns me is after skimming through the other threads dealing with the 'Great Oil Debate' is whether or not Toyota will accept this. Some say that Toyota has their own 0W-20 oil and it is 'better' than Mobil. Being in a small community and not having access to a lot I have depended on this forum for a lot - and have truly appreciated everything - and this being my first hybrid, not to mention Toyota, I want to make sure that whatever I do will not be detrimental to the car.

So if anyone can chime in on this further I would be very appreciative.....

[Airbalancer]

I believe Esso and Mobil are the same oil different bottle
There is also alot tallk that Esso XD is the same Synthetic oil as Mobli

[walter592]

Well I've driven almost a full tank of gas since my 5w20 oil change, gas mileage has worsened... I couldn't believe the difference. The computer L/100km has been 4.1-4.2 on every tank since I got the car, this tank is now at 4.4. same driving, if anything I've been easier on the car to try to get the mpg down.

[MSantos]

Hi All;

I've literally lost count of how many stories similar to Walter's I've heard over the years. Sadly, I fully expect a few Toyota dealers to use 5W20 instead of the 0W20 without concern for its effect on the 3G Prius' FE.

I suggest we Identify those dealers and advise other 3G Prius owners to avoid them at all cost until they pick up on training, get with the program and stop playing it on the cheap.

The other thing I would suggest is that as owners, we report these incidents to Toyota Canada Inc in a written letter detailing the incident and CC it to the service manager at the dealership.

Over the years, we've been doing the same regarding some Honda dealers with great results so I have every reason to believe we can get similar results now that the 3G Prius also requires 0W20.

Cheers;

MSantos

[Tideland Prius]

Now the question remains - Is our Prius filled with synthetic? If so, should our maintenance be extended to 16,000km? That should offset the cost of synthetic oil (which is typically 2x the cost of dino oil) and should (in theory) withstand the longer interval.